Starting Friday, September 14, Gallery 456 will showcase contemporary photographs that capture Chelsea life. The opening reception runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at 456 Broadway, Chelsea.
Large-scale reproductions of winning images from the Welcome to Chelsea Photo Contest form the exhibition’s core. Both amateur and professional photographers submitted work, with a formal judging panel selecting a dozen finalists. The People’s Choice Award emerged from online voting, garnering more than 500 community votes.
Chelsea Prospers, the City of Chelsea’s downtown vitality initiative, partnered with the facebook group Chelsea MA Photography Club—coordinated by photographer and former City Councilor Matt Frank—to present this contest.
The judging panel brought together diverse artistic expertise. Darlene DeVita, an award-winning fine art photographer, served alongside Matt Frank, the former City Councilor and photographer who founded the Chelsea MA Photography Club. State Representative Roselee Vincent, a former Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development member and arts advocate, participated as did Sury Chavez, a local painter whose decorative murals and “Welcome to Chelsea” signs adorn key city locations. Marianne Ramos, a self-taught “outsider artist” and longtime Chelsea resident currently serving as Program Coordinator for the Chelsea Senior Center, rounded out the panel alongside Alex Train, an artist and Assistant Director of the Department of Planning and Development for the City of Chelsea.
Digital submissions were transformed into high-quality, large-format canvas prints and professionally framed. The Broadway display will remain through mid to late October, after which winners will receive their framed works.
Gallery 456 operates as an open storefront gallery, allowing full visibility of the exhibit from the sidewalk.
Exhibited Works
- Best in Show
Sunrise Over the Cemetery by Aaron Kraemer
- Local Business
From Chelsea to Boston by Isaac Subillaga
Happy Your-Day! by Teri Weidner
Soldiers Home by Deb Cronin
- People of Chelsea
Maggie and William by Katy Rogers
Hero by Deb Cronin
Come Together by Katy Rogers
- Community
Chelsea Community Gardening by Katy Rogers
Morning at the Community Rail by Aaron Kraemer
Diversity: Chelsea’s Middle Name by Teri Weidner
- Chelsea, Past and Present
Sunrise Over the Cemetery by Aaron Kraemer
Chelsea Winter Storm by Joe Makarski
Abandonment Issues by Isaac Subillaga
- People’s Choice
My Green Monstah by Deb Cronin